I had ILC six years ago and decided on a left breast mastectomy. I wanted to use my own tissue to reconstruct but my plastic surgeon said I did not have enough “belly fat” at that time. So I reconstructed with an expander and then an implant because for me I did not like being so lope-sided. The implant was okay - I didn’t love it but it accomplished the look I was wanting. Fast forward to today, I am now 5 weeks post surgery due to another ILC diagnosis in the right breast. I thought long and hard about reconstruction versus going flat. It really is such a personal decision as you are the one having to live each day in your body. When I talked with my plastic surgeon, I once again asked about using my own tissue to reconstruct. This time, thanks to years of putting on extra weight, I did qualify for the Diep flap reconstruction. So I had the left implant removed, a mastectomy on the right breast and used my belly tissue to make two new “belly boobies”. It definitely has been a much more intense surgery - I was in the operating room for nine hours, 3 days in ICU and then moved to the main floor for an additional day. When they say it takes 8 weeks to recover - they mean it. When the mastectomy was done- the skin was scraped to thin causing the tissue to die so I’ve ended up with a wound that is still not completely healed yet. There have been a few moments during this recovery where I wondered if I did the right thing but overall for me, I’m glad I made this choice.
You’re doing the right thing by exploring all the options. It is so hard and confusing which route to take, but trust in your feelings. Wishing you all the best.